Poison (Ex) Injury, DC 20, 1d6 Str/Con (6). Blackback death spiders have a +10 racial bonus to their poison DC. They possess possibly the most deadly toxin of the animal kingdom.

Precise Attack Due to their extremely small size, blackback death spiders can ignore armor and shield bonuses to AC against Tiny and larger creatures. With a full round attack against a flatfooted opponent, they can also ignore natural armor, by biting the victim in a vulnerable spot, such as the eye, neck or genitalia.
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Kain Darkwind
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Re: Larissa Vanderboren’s Guide to Isle Fauna
Postby Kain Darkwind » Thu Sep 09, 2010 11:35 am

Attach Any creature taking damage from the swarm has hundred of mosquitoes attach themselves to its body. These mosquitoes continue to drain blood for three rounds before dropping off sated. A creature can rid itself of attached mosquitoes by dealing 2 points of area of effect damage to itself, or submerging itself in liquid.

Blood Drain A mosquito swarm deals 1 point of Constitution damage per round from blood drain on any living creature that ends its turn in a space occupied by the swarm or any creature subjected to the swarm’s attach special attack, whether still within the swarm or not.

Constrict (Ex): A dire snake deals 2d10 + 16 damage with a successful grapple check. The creature must succeed on a Fortitude save (DC 26) or lose consciousness for as long as it remains in the coils and 2d4 rounds thereafter.

Dangerous Plants
The density of life is high in the jungles, and both flora and fauna gird themselves with any number of strange evolutionary traits to gain advantages and defend themselves against predation. The denizens of the jungle are vdangerous not out of malice, but out of necessity. Yet this is little comfort to adventurers who run afoul of them.

Bullhorn Acacia: Common to many of the Isle’s jungles, the bullhorn acacia tree is a thorny monstrosity; its long, hollow spines grow densely and bar
jungle paths wherever several trees grow near each other. Yet more menacing than its spikes are the ants that dwell within the hollow thorns. These tiny ants feed on nutrients exuded by the acacia, and they will fight to the death to defend their home. Unwary creatures who fail a Survival check and brush up against one of these plants can expect to be immediately set upon by a swarm of tiny, stinging insects.

Ellim Bushes: Ellim bushes look like ordinary, thick, leafy bushes that grow close to the ground. Patches of these bushes often split and grow into new patches, and a continuous patch can cover up to 100 feet of ground. Ellim bushes have porous bark and leaves that soak up water during the frequent rainstorms, which generally last from late afternoon to midnight. When the sun rises the next day, the water trapped in ellim bushes begins to evaporate, creating a thick, muggy fog. The fog that surrounds ellim bushes obscures vision in the bushes’ immediate vicinity. Travelers unfamiliar with ellim bushes might make camp in a seemingly clear area and wake up to find dense, musty fog covering their campsite. The vision-obscuring fog stretches for approximately 20 feet beyond the edge of the ellim bush patch. Though not dangerous themselves, ellim bushes are often used by monsters, raiders, and other local menaces to easily sneak up on prey. Those beasts that don’t rely on vision as their primary sense are particularly at home in the mists and
may make their lairs near ellim bushes as a natural defense, as well as a perfect ambush site. Ellim leaves can be used as makeshift bandages in an emergency, as they can absorb half as much blood as cloth bandages. Trackers often carry wrung-out ellim leaves for use as sponges. Ellim leaves placed in the heels of boots or under hats absorb sweat and can help keep travelers cool.

Gorao Trees: Gorao trees, often called “grabber trees” by foreigners, are nonsentient trees that can nonetheless be dangerous for unwary travelers. A gorao tree grows multiple thin trunks only 1 or 2 inches in diameter, all clustered together. These trunks sprout even thinner, short branches that stick out from the trunks like spines on a thistle. One gorao tree by itself poses no threat, but gorao trees tend to cover large areas of jungle, and they pose a hazard to any who enter an infested area. Gorao trees grow sparsely around the edges of a field or stand but cluster more densely at its center.

A character can make a Survival check to notice that gorao trees are appearing more frequently. Once a traveler enters the perimeter of a gorao tree stand, her movement becomes inhibited. Gorao tree stands count as difficult terrain. The twigs protruding from the trunks catch on clothes, straps, and skin. It’s difficult for a character to back up among gorao trees, as the twigs tend to protrude toward the center of the stand, making it easier to enter than to exit. By the time a creature failing the Survival check realizes she has entered a gorao tree stand—meaning by the time her movement becomes inhibited by the difficult terrain—the stand already extends behind her by ten to sixty feet. Much like ellim bushes, the danger of gorao tree stands is that predators often hunt near them, hoping to find a panicked creature caught in the twigs. Creatures in gorao tree stands tend to thrash and break twigs in their efforts to escape—the equivalent of ringing a dinner bell for nearby stalkers.

Monkey Trees: Monkey trees present a unique hazard in the jungle. These shaggy-barked trees have thick, twisting limbs sprouting from a central trunk. They have no foliage, only looping branches extending toward the sky. The solid appearance of the tree and its twisted limbs make it seem ideal for climbing. Its fibrous bark also serves as ideal tinder. While not harmful, the bark of the monkey tree contains concentrated oils that seep into the skin of anyone who touches the tree. These oils react with skin to create an incredibly spicy, pungent odor.

A character who touches a monkey tree smells strongly for the next day. The oils react with any skin, including leather, so leather gloves also pick up the smell. A character can rid herself of the scent by scrubbing with soap and water, after which the smell grows mild and inoffensive. Unless the character takes the time to wash, any creature tracking the character or her allies receives a +4 circumstance bonus to its Survival check.

What’s more, many predators have learned that the smell of a monkey tree means the presence of naked (and uneducated) f lesh somewhere nearby. nprotected contact with a monkey tree greatly increases the chances of a random encounter, as some predators can smell the pungent odor from up to 10
miles away and may head toward it.

Spider Vines: The spider vine is a distant cousin of the assassin vine (which is also common in the jungle). Whereas the assassin vine slowly pursues its prey should it attempt to escape, the spider vine is permanently rooted in place. It looks like a thick, hanging or ground-hugging vine that has regular spines, hooks, and protrusions. It is activated by motion against its leaves, at which point it jabs out spines that deliver a dose of paralyzing, necrotic poison. It slowly wraps itself around the paralyzed victim, injecting new doses of poison every round, and inserts rootlets directly into the f lesh to absorb the nutrients its poison has dissolved. Dealing 10 points of damage to the vine is enough to free one creature trapped among its coils. A typical spider vine is a CR 3 hazard, with older plants having more hit points and more potent poison. A spider vine may be spotted in the surrounding vines with a Perception check, but unless a creature is already familiar with a plant or makes a Survival or Knowledge (nature) check, the check only reveals a thorny, spiky vine.

Vine Viper: While not actually a plant, this animal’s reliance on its specific hunting patterns makes it more of an environmental encounter than a wandering monster. The vine viper is a mottled green snake with a leaf-shaped head and scaling that resembles shadowed leaves. Its main hunting
tactic is simple and effective: it coils itself around the branch of a tree, hanging its head among the vines near the ground, and waits for prey to come into striking distance. It attacks any Medium or smaller creature that comes within range.